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THE PUBLIC FORUM
ORGANIZE DEP'T STORE EM
PLOYES. I have read the article in
regard to half-day holidays for de
partment store employes. I think -it
a very good idea. I am thankful for
the interest these women are taking
in us. But their interest is not get
ting us anywhere. Why not organ
ize these girls and men and make a
united demand for justice? Our de
mands will be effective.
Saturday, of course, is the best day
of the week for the stores, and we
would be reasonable and take a day
off in the middle of the week. If the
State street men and women organ
ized they would in themselves num
ber the population of a small city.
Organized they could demand what
they needed and could get it. Gee,
wouldn't that make the bosses sore?
Here are a few of the conditions:
The men get from $10 to 12 a week
and commission, which seldom
brings their salary up to or more
than 14 a week. The girls get only
$8 to $10 a week. Now can anyone
tell me where a man can get a clean
room and two square meals a day
for less than $G a week, with food at
the prices of today? Carfare and
lunches mean $2 more a week, How
about clothes, insurance, amusement
and rainy day money?
I know a man working under these
conditions with a wife and four boys,
ages from 4 to 11, to support. The
mother has to go to work to help
feed them, because $12 is not enough
to feed six mouths at present prices,
to say nothing about the cost of
clothes and education. Who takes
care of these boys? A day nursery
or settlement house. Is this the way
to raise children? To raise four boys
properly, all the time a mother may
devote to them is necessary. People
wonder why we have reform schools
and why the working people are
lighting for birth control.
I suppose some will ask why we do
not organize. It is because we fear
losing our jobs and being boycotted
on State street Eight dollars in the
purse is better than $20 coming. I
would suggest that these women in
terested in us should organize our
forces, and see if a large majority of
us are not willing and wishing to
better our industrial conditions.
Gee, it would make us feel, good
to make the bosses sit up and take
notice of us. One of the Thousand
State Street Girls.
STOP THE FOOD HQGS. Now
that the Tribune has revealed to us
how to reduce the high cost of liv
ing, why worry?
The Tribune says if you like to eat
roast beef, eat three tablespoons of
macaroni with cheese instead. It
you can't afford to eat roast Iamb,
then eat three tablespoons of baked
beans.
One-half pint of split pea soup is
just as good as roast chicken. Cab
bage, of course, is only as good as
bread. So one might just as well
eat bread.
Society women tell us to eat po
tatoes once a week to reduce the
high cost of living. Think of it! Po
tatoes once a week in America, the
land of plenty! And at a time when
prosperity is at its heighth.
Everybody is investigating the
high cost of 'living. The district at
torney is investigating; congress is
investigating. And now the presi
dent wants money to investigate. But
who is going to act? That's the
question. Why are investigations ne
cessary? There are no secrets about
the high cost of living. I can give
all the information for nothing.
The grain elevators are loaded to
capacity and so are the cold storage
plants. If the government will seize
them, that will end it Why dilly
dally around any longer?
Senator Thomas of Colorado says":
"The way to deal with that is to take
those who corner food supplies by
the throats. I dislike to see food
riots in free America, but I can see